Advancing Chronic Disease Care: From Root Cause to Resolution
November 6-8, 2026 • Salt Lake City, UT
Metabolic & Inflammatory Health
Address the top seven chronic diseases affecting Americans today. Learn how BHRT, nutrition, and lifestyle interventions can work together to move from symptom management to lasting resolution and improved quality of life.
Details
Course Description
Chronic diseases are often diagnosed and treated as separate conditions, yet obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and other disorders frequently share common underlying drivers. Course 3 challenges providers to look beyond the diagnosis and rethink chronic disease through the interconnected roles of insulin resistance, hormonal decline, inflammation, visceral adiposity, muscle loss, and metabolic dysfunction.
Beginning with the physiology of insulin and nutrient signaling, participants will learn how metabolic dysfunction can develop years before traditional markers of disease become abnormal—and how earlier recognition may create opportunities for more meaningful intervention. The course then applies this framework to some of the most common and consequential chronic conditions encountered in practice, including obesity and diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obstructive sleep apnea, cognitive decline, osteoporosis, and sarcopenia.
Throughout the course, emphasis is placed on translating physiology and evidence into better patient care. Providers will explore practical approaches to assessment, laboratory interpretation, hormone optimization, metabolic interventions, nutrition, pharmacologic therapies, and other strategies that address underlying contributors to disease rather than focusing exclusively on downstream symptoms or diagnoses.
Participants will leave with a more integrated framework for evaluating patients with chronic disease—helping them recognize connections across seemingly different conditions, identify metabolic and hormonal dysfunction earlier, and develop more individualized strategies aimed at improving long-term health and function.
Upon completion of this course, participants should be able to:
- Identify key upstream drivers of chronic disease, including insulin resistance, hormonal decline, visceral adiposity, loss of muscle, and metabolic dysfunction.
- Evaluate metabolic and hormonal factors that may contribute to obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, sleep apnea, osteoporosis, and sarcopenia.
- Interpret clinical and laboratory markers to recognize insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction earlier in the disease process.
- Apply evidence-based hormonal, metabolic, and pharmacologic strategies to address underlying contributors to chronic disease.
- Develop more individualized treatment approaches that move beyond managing isolated diagnoses toward improving metabolic health, function, and long-term patient outcomes.
Speakers
Agenda
| Time (MT) | Agenda |
| 8:00 - 9:00 am | Beyond the Diagnosis: Rethinking Chronic Disease at Its Roots Faculty: Micah Olson, MD |
| 9:00 - 10:00 am | Insulin Physiology 101: Understanding a Key Driver of Chronic Disease Insulin is often viewed primarily through the lens of glucose regulation, but its physiologic role extends far beyond blood sugar. As a powerful anabolic and storage hormone, insulin signals energy abundance, influences nutrient storage and utilization, supports growth, and suppresses the breakdown of stored energy and tissue. This session will review the physiology of insulin and establish the foundation for understanding what happens when this essential signaling system becomes chronically elevated or dysregulated. Providers will explore insulin's roles in energy availability, anabolism, storage, and anti-catabolic signaling—creating the physiologic foundation for the discussions of hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, obesity, diabetes, and chronic disease that follow. Faculty: Micah Olson, MD |
| 10:00 - 10:30 am | Break |
| 10:30 - 12:30 pm | Nutrient Signaling: How Metabolism Shapes Health and Chronic Disease Food provides more than energy. Nutrients—including glucose, fats, amino acids, and vitamins—act as signals that influence metabolism, insulin response, inflammation, cellular growth and repair, and hormone regulation. This session explores how the body senses and responds to nutrients through key metabolic hormones, including insulin, GIP, GLP-1, amylin, ghrelin, and glucagon, and the signaling pathways that coordinate these responses. Providers will examine how healthy nutrient signaling maintains metabolic balance and what happens when these systems begin to break down, including impaired signaling and receptor resistance in tissues such as the liver. The session will connect disruptions in nutrient signaling to insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, and the development and progression of chronic disease. Faculty: Micah Olson, MD |
| 12:30 - 1:30 pm | Lunch |
| 1:30 - 2:30 pm | What is Insulin Resistance and Where Does it Come From? This lecture defines insulin resistance at the level of the cell and the whole body, establishing that the condition cannot exist without hyperinsulinemia and that insulin is elevated for years while glucose remains normal. It then covers the three causes: stress, inflammation, and insulin itself, with evidence from sleep deprivation, air pollution, and carbohydrate overfeeding studies. The lecture closes by distinguishing pathological insulin resistance from the physiological insulin resistance of puberty, pregnancy, and the luteal phase, making the case that insulin resistance often begins as a protective adaptation. Faculty: Ben Bikman, PhD |
| 2:30 - 3:30 pm | How Does Insulin Resistance Contribute to Chronic Disease? This lecture begins with why insulin resistance goes undetected, tracing the historical and practical reasons clinicians measure glucose rather than insulin, and showing that insulin resistance is identifiable decades before glucose rises. It then follows the disorder into specific tissues and diseases: the muscle, liver, and pancreatic alpha and beta cells in type 2 diabetes; cerebral fuel disruption in Alzheimer’s disease; and even how insulin resistance may lead to some not making adequate GLP-1. Faculty: Ben Bikman, PhD |
| 3:30 - 3:45 pm | Break |
| 3:45 - 4:45 pm | What Can We Do to Prevent or Reverse Insulin Resistance? This lecture opens with assessment, comparing dynamic and static measures including the two hour OGTT with insulin, fasting insulin with C peptide, HOMA IR, the triglyceride to HDL ratio, and clinical signs such as acanthosis nigricans and waist to height ratio. It then evaluates pharmacological options against a single standard, whether the therapy lowers insulin, covering insulin therapy, sulfonylureas, metformin, and GLP-1 receptor agonists. The lecture ends with dietary strategy built on controlling carbohydrates, prioritizing protein, and not fearing fat, plus specific targets attendees can act on. Faculty: Ben Bikman, PhD |
| 4:45 - 5:15 pm | Question and Answer |
| 5:15 - 5:30 pm | Book Signing with Ben |
| Time (MT) | Agenda |
| 8:00 - 10:00 am | Obesity and Diabetes: Beyond Calories to Metabolic Health Obesity and type 2 diabetes are complex metabolic diseases that extend far beyond excess calories, body weight, or elevated glucose. This session examines the interconnected metabolic and hormonal processes that contribute to their development, including insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia, visceral adiposity, inflammation, altered nutrient signaling, loss of metabolic flexibility, and changes in muscle and energy metabolism. Providers will explore how these underlying dysfunctions can precede overt disease and why improving metabolic health requires looking beyond weight and glucose alone. The discussion will connect assessment and treatment strategies to the broader upstream drivers of chronic disease, providing a framework for addressing metabolic dysfunction and improving long-term health. Faculty: Jason Giffi, MD |
| 10:00 - 10:30 am | Break |
| 10:30 - 12:00 pm | How Hormones Impact Obesity and Insulin Resistance Obesity and insulin resistance are influenced by more than caloric intake and physical activity. Hormones play a critical role in regulating glucose metabolism, insulin sensitivity, body composition, fat distribution, energy expenditure, and the balance between anabolic and catabolic states. This session examines how estradiol, testosterone, thyroid hormones, cortisol, and DHEA influence metabolic health and how hormonal decline or dysregulation may contribute to visceral adiposity, loss of lean mass, impaired glucose regulation, and insulin resistance. Participants will learn to recognize hormonal contributors to metabolic dysfunction and consider hormone optimization as part of a more comprehensive approach to improving metabolic health. Faculty: Jason Giffi, MD |
| 12:00 - 1:00 pm | Lunch |
| 1:00 - 2:30 pm | Cardiovascular Disease: Beyond Cholesterol to Root Cause Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, yet traditional approaches often focus primarily on cholesterol management rather than the underlying drivers of vascular disease. This session explores the role of insulin resistance, atherosclerosis, apolipoproteins, and inflammation in cardiovascular risk while examining lipids as markers of injury and repair. Participants will review the evidence surrounding statin therapy, hormone optimization for both men and women, and the impact of estradiol, testosterone, thyroid function, and targeted nutritional supplements on cardiovascular health and disease prevention. Faculty: Clifford Gluck, MD, FACS |
| 2:30 - 2:45 pm | Break |
| 2:45 - 4:15 pm | Cardiovascular Disease: Beyond Cholesterol to Root Cause, Continued |
| 4:15 - 4:30 pm | Break |
| 4:30 - 5:00 pm | Interactive Quiz |
| 5:00 - 5:30 pm | Panel Discussion and Q&A |
| Time (MT) | Agenda |
| 8:00 - 9:00 am | Obstructive Sleep Apnea: More Than a Sleep Disorder Obstructive sleep apnea is closely linked to obesity, insulin resistance, and metabolic dysfunction, contributing to increased cardiovascular risk and chronic disease progression. This session examines the physiologic effects of intermittent hypoxia, elevated cortisol, and visceral adiposity while reviewing the potential role of progesterone in women with sleep-disordered breathing. Participants will also learn how to interpret common laboratory findings, including hemoglobin, hematocrit, and oxygen saturation, to better identify and manage patients at risk. Faculty: Scott Davis, MD |
| 9:00 - 9:15 am | Break |
| 9:15 - 11:15 am | Brain Health and Cognitive Aging: A Hormone-Centered Approach Increasing evidence supports the concept that Alzheimer's disease may represent a form of "Type 3 Diabetes," linking insulin resistance, metabolic dysfunction, inflammation, and vascular disease to cognitive decline. This session explores the growing body of literature connecting hormones, brain metabolism, and healthy aging while examining the roles of testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, and other endocrine factors in preserving cognitive function. Participants will also review the evidence surrounding hormone therapy, and practical strategies to support brain health and reduce the risk of dementia and depression. Faculty: Scott Davis, MD |
| 11:15 - 12:30 pm | Bone, Muscle, and Structural Integrity: A Hormone-Centered Approach Bone and muscle health are essential to healthy aging and play a critical role in preventing frailty, fractures, disability, and loss of independence. This session explores osteoporosis and sarcopenia as interconnected metabolic diseases influenced by hormonal decline, inflammation, and the balance between anabolic and catabolic processes. Participants will review the roles of estradiol, testosterone, and DHEA in maintaining skeletal and muscle integrity, examine the effects of common medications on bone health, and evaluate the evidence supporting nutritional supplements, and hormone optimization to preserve strength, mobility, and long-term function. Faculty: Kristi Hales, RPH |
| 12:30 PM | Adjourn |
Location and Travel Details
- Nov 6-8, 2026
- Hyatt Regency
170 South West Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101 - Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
Pricing
| Early Bird (up to 3 weeks prior to event) |
Standard (within 3 weeks of event) |
|
| Prescribers This rate applies to licensed medical professionals who prescribe hormone therapy. Applicable credentials include MD, DO, PA, NP, and ND. |
$1,595 | $1,695 |
| Non-Prescribers Ideal for clinical support staff, students, and Legacy BHRT Series alumni seeking to refresh their knowledge. Applicable credentials include MA, RN, RPh, Resident / Intern, Pharmacist, Office Manager, Dietician, Nutritionist, and Health Coach. |
N/A | $1,095 |
NOTE: The course material is the same for both provider types.
Policies
Course Content Access
This training is offered both in person and virtually. Educational materials and the syllabus will be available online. A recording of each day’s session will be posted that evening and remain accessible until the second Sunday (2 weeks after the event) following the event, giving you time to review material or catch up on any missed sessions. Recordings will no longer be available after that date.
Group Discounts
If two or more prescribers register as a group under one registration ticket, there will be a 10% discount applied to each registration after the first one.
Refunds, Cancellations, and Course Credit
Up to 3 weeks prior to the course start date the cancellation fee is $100. If a cancellation is requested less than 3 weeks in advance the cancellation fee is $350. If a cancellation is received within two weeks of the event, there are no refunds allowed.
To cancel a registration, a credit can be held on file without penalty so long as the cancellation is received more than 2 weeks in advance of the start date. This credit will be applied automatically to your next registration before a credit card is charged.